Anthill 16: Humour me

In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be funny.

Mayweather will beat McGregor, neuroscience predicts

Merim Bilalic, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Everything we know about the way experts’ brains work tells us that Mayweather is likely to win the fight.

Gravitational waves are helping us crack the mystery of how pairs of black holes form

Ilya Mandel, University of Birmingham

New research shows that as few as ten further detections of gravitational waves will help scientists know for sure how pairs of black holes form.

Here's how we can stop driverless cars from being hacked

Siraj Ahmed Shaikh, Coventry University; Madeline Cheah, Coventry University

Cars are effectively becoming computers on wheels – and very attractive to cyber criminals.

Here's the blueprint for a global fireball observatory – and why we need one

Luke Daly, University of Glasgow; Gareth Collins, Imperial College London; Martin Suttle, Imperial College London

Ten new remote cameras will soon be scouring the British night skies for meteorites.

How the English far right co-opted Christianity – and why its 'crusade' shouldn't be ignored

Katie Edwards, University of Sheffield

There's talk of a new 'Christian crusade' – and it's highly dangerous.

Is Britain the new Norway? Stance on ECJ suggests London seeks a softer Brexit

Alfonso Valero, Nottingham Trent University

The UK government seems to be accepting some role for the court after leaving the European Union.

The anthropology of Trump: what to do when the court jester takes charge

Anthony J Pickles, University of Cambridge

His particular brand of foolery is proving highly effective – and destructive.

Trump is wrong: his 'new' Afghanistan policy looks like more of the same

Elisabeth Leake, University of Leeds

Without a legitimate government, Afghanistan will never be stable ... no matter how many terrorists are killed.

Members of the public are turning pet detective to solve animal crimes

Sam Poyser, Aberystwyth University

Volunteers are leading the investigation into a vicious UK animal killer.

What being stuck between two cultures can do to a person's psyche

Nelli Ferenczi, Goldsmiths, University of London; Tara Marshall, Brunel University London

It can be a painful experience to be rejected by your heritage culture.

100% renewable by 2050: the technology already exists to make it happen

Dénes Csala, Lancaster University; Sgouris Sgouridis, Masdar Institute

Energy will become more and more integrated with artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

It's time to accept carbon capture has failed – here's what we should do instead

Tom Baxter, University of Aberdeen

Why go to all that bother when you can just half-fill the kettle?

Here's a better vision for the US-Mexico border: Make the Rio Grande grand again

Gabriel Diaz Montemayor, University of Texas at Austin

Instead of building a wall on the US-Mexico border, a landscape architect calls for restoring the Rio Grande and turning its course into an international park – an idea first proposed in the 1930s.

Technology is not enough to create connected cities – here's why

Mike Cooray, Hult International Business School; Rikke Duus, UCL

Three key things that must not be ignored.

Lost Latin commentary on the Gospels rediscovered after 1,500 years thanks to digital technology

Hugh Houghton, University of Birmingham

Textual analysis using the digitised text of this 4th-century manuscript has established its authenticity.

Vitamin B supplements linked to lung cancer – here's why you probably don't need to worry

Jennie Jackson, Glasgow Caledonian University

A new study has found a link between high doses of vitamin B6 and B12 and lung cancer – but only in men.